1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cleaning device for cleaning an inkjet recording head, and to an inkjet recording device including the same.
In addition to being applied to commonly used printers, the present invention may be applied to copying machines, facsimile machines including a communications system, word processors including a printing section, or industrial recording devices combined with various types of processors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, recording devices functioning as, for example, printers, copying machines, or facsimile machines, or recording devices used as output devices of composite electronic devices (including, for example, computers or word processors) or as output devices of workstations are constructed so as to record an image on a record medium such as paper or a thin plastic plate based on image information. Such recording devices can be divided into various types depending on the recording method they use, such as inkjet recording devices, wire dot recording devices, thermal recording devices, and laser beam recording devices.
In a serial type recording device which performs a main scanning operation in the direction which intersects the record medium transporting direction (that is, the subscanning direction), a recording means placed on a carriage which moves along the record medium is used to record an image on the record medium. More specifically, an image for one line is recorded by the main scanning operation carried out by the recording means, after which the record medium is advanced (or fed) by a predetermined amount (the xe2x80x9cpitchxe2x80x9d). After the advance of the record medium, the main scanning operation is carried out again by the recording means to record the next line of image. Thereafter, the advancement of the record medium by the predetermined pitch and the main scanning operation are alternately repeated in order to record all of the images on the entire record medium.
On the other hand, in a line-type recording device which records images only by a subscanning operation by a recording means along a record medium in the subscanning direction, without a main-scanning operation by the recording means, a recording means which extends along the entire record area of the record medium in the widthwise direction thereof is used to record the images on the record medium. More specifically, the record medium is set in position to allow the recording means to record an image for one line all at once. Then, the record medium is advanced (that is, fed) by a predetermined amount (the xe2x80x9cpitchxe2x80x9d). After the feeding of the record medium, the recording means records the next image for one line all at once. Thereafter, the advancement of the record medium by the predetermined pitch and the recording operations are alternately repeated in order to record all of the images on the entire record medium.
An inkjet recording device records an image on a record medium by ejecting ink from a recording means (that is, an inkjet recording head). The inkjet recording device provides, for example, the following advantages. Its recording head can easily be made compact in size. It can record a high-definition image with high speed. It can carry out a recording operation on plain sheets of paper made without special processing. Its running costs are low. It does not make very much noise because it is a non-impact type recording device. It can easily record a color image by using ink of various colors. In particular, the line-type inkjet recording device using a line-type inkjet recording head having a large number of ink-ejection openings disposed along the widthwise direction of the record medium can perform recording at an even higher speed.
In particular, in an inkjet recording head used in an inkjet recording device which ejects ink using heat energy, a deposited electrothermal converting member, an electrode, a liquid path wall, a top plate, etc., can be formed by semiconductor manufacturing processes, such as etching, evaporation, and sputtering. Therefore, it is possible to easily manufacture inkjet recording heads which have liquid paths (that is, ink-ejection openings) disposed very close together and which are made more compact in size.
There has been a demand for various types of record media. In recent years, there has been a demand for recording devices which allow the use of, in addition to ordinary types of record media such as paper and thin resin plates (such as overhead projector (OHP) plates), thin paper and processed paper (such as filing paper having punched-out holes, paper with perforations, paper having various forms, etc.).
For example, an inkjet recording head used in a serial-scanning-type inkjet recording device is placed on a carriage, and ejects ink from ink-ejection openings while reciprocating in the main scanning direction with the carriage. In this recording head, good ink ejection performance is maintained by wiping the surface of the recording head where the ejection openings are formed (that is, the surface of, for example, a recording element substrate where the ejection openings are formed) by a wiper blade. The wiper blade is, for example, a 0.5 mm thick silicone rubber plate. When the recording head is to be wiped, the recording head and the wiper blade are moved relative to each other while keeping the surface of the recording head where the ejection openings are formed and the wiper blade overlapped by approximately 1 mm. Foreign matter (such as paper powder, dust, or ink deposits) stuck on the surface of the recording head where the ejection openings are formed is wiped off by making the recording head carried by the carriage pass and be wiped by the wiper blade disposed opposite to the recording head, or by making the wiper blade pass and wipe the recording head which is maintained stationary opposite the wiper blade.
In order to cause the wiper blade always to wipe off foreign matter properly, a wiper cleaner (that is, a blade cleaner) is provided in order to clean off foreign matter, such as ink, stuck on the wiper blade by the wiping operation of the wiper blade.
FIGS. 26A, 26B, and 26C illustrate the operations of a wiper blade and a wiper cleaner in a conventional inkjet recording device.
Relative movement of a wiper blade 1 and a wiper cleaner 2 causes the wiper blade 1 to pass by a scraping-off edge section 2A of the wiper cleaner 2 while the wiper blade 1 bends, causing any foreign matter, such as ink, stuck near the end of the wiper blade 1 to be scraped off by the wiper cleaner 2.
The wiper cleaner 2 is formed of a material which absorbs ink so that it can scrape off any ink stuck on the wiper blade 1.
However, the inkjet recording device including the aforementioned wiper blade 1 and the wiper cleaner 2 still has the following problems.
(1) When the planar surface of the wiper blade 1 and the planar surface of the wiper cleaner 2 come into contact with each other, foreign matter 3, such as ink, is scattered around the wiper blade 1 and the wiper cleaner 2.
(2) The foreign matter 3, such as ink, accumulates on the wiper cleaner 2, so that the wiper blade 1 is cleaned less effectively, and is, thus, stained with ink. When a large amount of foreign matter 3, such as ink, sticks on the wiper blade 1 and the wiper cleaner 2, the foreign matter 3 moves past the scraping edge section 2A without being removed from the wiper blade.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an inkjet recording head cleaning device which can reduce scattering of ink when a wiper blade is being cleaned, and which allows the wiper blade to be unerringly cleaned by a wiper cleaner over a long period of time. It is also an object of the present invention to provide an inkjet recording device that includes such cleaning device.
To this end, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning device for an inkjet recording head for wiping a portion of the inkjet recording head which discharges ink by a resilient wiper blade, and for cleaning the wiper blade by a wiper cleaner. The cleaning device comprises a unit to effect relative motion of the wiper blade and the wiper cleaner relative to each other so that the wiper blade and the wiper cleaner come into contact with each other, and a contact range limiter, disposed on at least one of the wiper blade and the wiper cleaner opposing each other, for limiting the range of contact of the wiper blade and the wiper cleaner when the wiper blade and the wiper cleaner start coming into contact with each other.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning device for an inkjet recording head for wiping a portion of the inkjet recording head which discharges ink by a resilient wiper blade, and for cleaning the wiper blade by a wiper cleaner. The cleaning device comprises an accumulation area limiter, disposed on the wiper cleaner, for limiting the accumulation area of foreign matter scraped off from the wiper blade.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a inkjet recording device for recording an image on a record medium using an inkjet recording head which discharges ink. The inkjet recording device comprises the above-described cleaning devices for cleaning a portion of the inkjet recording head.